A new society at Rhodes University will be lobbying for climate change and have residences competing to cut down on electricity usage.
A new society at Rhodes University will be lobbying for climate change and have residences competing to cut down on electricity usage.
The South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum held its first function of the year on Monday night. The group, launched a year ago, aims to bring other universities and NGOs together to tackle issues of climate change and sustainability.
Dr Tony Ribbink, CEO of the Sustainable Seas Trust and the forum's founder, welcomed a small group to the presentation at Eden Grove Red lecture theatre and said, “It is this generation who need to make a huge difference and make the difference quickly. The world is in your hands, so use your hands well.”
The forum's committee has big plans for this year. They are planning to attend The United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change's 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17) in Durban at the end of the year. As part of this, they will be encouraging as many people as possible to sign a sea pledge, in order to help save the sea, one of the world’s lungs.
The society also has various other projects. Wild Reach aims to empower communities in the Eastern Cape by promoting conservation through knowledge. Students will accompany underprivileged school children to game farms to help create interest in the environment and to demonstrate the benefits of conservation.
As part of the forum's campus initiatives, they will be running an Eskom energy challenge between residences. The residence with the lowest energy consumption will win a prize. Recycling, water saving and food awareness are also on their to-do list.
